Neighbour left with bleed to the brain after revenge bottle attack on Leeds street
A neighbour who became embroiled in a dispute with a teenager over incidents of spitting at a block of flats was left with a bleed to the brain after a vicious revenge assault.
The victim was also left with a double skull fracture following the sickening attack involving his neighbour, 19-year-old Malaki Cawley.
A bottle was smashed over the man’s head and was stamped on as Cawley and his pal set about him in the street.
Cawley’s friend, who instigated the violence, has never been identified.
Cawley admitted Section 18 GBH with intent at Leeds Crown Court and was jailed this week. He appeared in court via video link from HMP Doncaster where he was being held on remand.
Prosecutor Zanisha Herbert said Cawley lived in the flat above the victim on Ingram Street, Holbeck.
She said there had been words exchanged about Cawley spitting from his balcony.
At around 5.20pm on January 2, Cawley had been in the Tesco on Bridgewater Place with his friend when they saw the neighbour in the shop.
Cawley and his friend left and walked along Victoria Road and Manor Road, where they slowed down, allowing the victim to catch up.
When he got near them, the unnamed thug smashed the bottle over the man’s head and then stamped on his head.
Cawley joined in and he punched and kicked the stricken man, before they fled the scene.
The injured man was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where scans showed he had two fractures to his skull, a bleed to the brain and swelling to his eye.
He was released from hospital two days later and there had been no lasting injuries.
Mitigating, Erin Kitson-Parker pointed to his age, his early guilty plea and that he had no previous convictions.
She said despite the victim’s hazy memory of the attack, Cawley “did the right thing” and admitted his guilt.
She said he was remorseful but “knows he will have to serve a number of years in custody”.
Ms Kitson-Parker said he had spent much of his younger life in care and was one of 10 siblings.
She said he had worked as a chef after leaving school and wants to “put his brain to good use”.
Judge Christopher Batty conceded that the unnamed thug had started the violence, but Cawley joined in, making it a joint enterprise.
He said: “Far from distancing yourself from that, you punched and then kicked [the victim] while he was on the floor.
“You were the person who had a grievance against him. You had disagreements in the past.
“You undoubtedly played a lesser role in terms of the violence, you did, however, add to the violence. You share responsibility for your actions.
“It was an intention to cause him really serious harm. It’s clear that only immediate custody can be justified.”
He jailed Cawley for four years and told him he must serve at least two-thirds of the sentence, rather than being considered for parole at the usual half-way stage.